HERNANDO, MS (abc24.com) - No cell phone tower... for now. AT&T has dropped plans to build a new tower in Hernando.
The company faced opposition from residents and history buffs, upset the tower was to be built near a Civil War battlefield. It's a victory for opponents, but it may be short lived.
"I moved out here for the quiet and healthfulness of it," says Hernando resident Virginia Murdoch. "I don't really care to be around all that negative energy."
It's a sentiment shared by many angry Hernando residents.
This week, AT&T listened to complaints, and halted plans to build a new cell tower near Clifton and Robertson Gin Roads. That site is also where DeSoto's only Civil War battle took place in 1863.
"AT&T had contracted with an environmental firm and they contacted us. Over they years we've done research on the Action Near Hernando. We've compiled it in a 60 page report," Historian Brian Hicks tells abc24.com.
Hicks says a cell phone tower doesn't belong on that land.
"At this point they've decided it will be better to look for another location," he says.
But Hicks wouldn't be surprised if the county hears from the cell phone company in the future.
People didn't want the tower near the Civil War site or their homes, but they need better service. That's why AT&T isn't completely giving up on a Hernando location.
"It's intermittent," says Byron McCarley. "Sometimes I've got good reception, sometimes I don't."
DeSoto County planners say AT&T still wants to add a tower, but in order to do that the company will have to submit a new application.
They expect that to happen in the next three to four months. Residents just hope it's in a less controversial location.
